96th Indy 500 Field Is Set - Carb Day is Next

Ryan Briscoe starts P1 at Indy for the first time May 27, 2012

The 96th running of the Indianapolis is now just days away and I'll bet Ryan Briscoe is on pins and needles waiting for the final practice session on Friday at Carburetion Day. Most teams have run in small packs during practice leading up to qualifications this past weekend, but Friday will be the first real opportunity to experience raceday conditions on the 2.5 mile IMS oval. I hope it is a safe practice session, especially since there were only 33 cars available to qualify this year, and the slowest two are both sporting Lotus power, more than 10 mph slower than Briscoe's pole winning pace.

Simona DiSilvestro drives for HVM

Speaking of Lotus, I feel terrible for Simona DiSilvestro and Jean Alesi. They deserve better than what has been given them for powerplants, and if not for Penske's pull with Chevy, then Sebastian Bourdais and Katherine Legge would likely have been in the same situation. The Lotus engines are woefully shy on speed and since Indycar has decided not to let them run at higher boost levels for their twin turbo engines this weekend, odds are very good that Simona and Alesi will get blackflagged early for not being able to run within 5% of the leaders speed. Simona could barely get to 214 last week and Alesi's best lap was only 210, so if race speeds are between 210 and 220 for the leaders (which is likely going to be the case with larger aero tows on race day, even with the Chevy's and Honda's dropping back to pre-qualifying turbo boost levels), then the two Lotus runners are going to be in trouble if they are running around 200.

Jean Alesi struggled with Lotus power

When did anyone think 200 mph would be slow at Indy? This year, it's not just slow, it's potentially dangerously slow. Simona deserves so much more than this after her practice session accident which burned her hands in Turn 4 last year, and Alesi will not be given a chance to really race at Indy, which I'm sure is why he came to Indy at age 47 after being away from Formula One for a few years. Racers are racers and it's just too bad that Lotus couldn't get its act together before now, and whatever gains Bourdais brought them with their lone Top 10 finish earlier this season on a road course, they have thrown them away now that Jay Penske's Dragon Racing team has fought its way into the Chevy camp this past week. Who can blame them? Not me.

Jay at IMS Turn 3 drop gate

For the first time in memory, I did not even make it to the Speedway for Bump Day this past Sunday, and anyone who knows me would surely be surprised at that. I had other commitments that day and I knew there would be no real drama with only a total of nine car-driver combinations available to make qualifying runs for the final nine open positions. The real drama was Saturday on Pole Day and there was no way I would miss that.  I have not been able to spend as much time at IMS this year due to work conflicts and what I've discovered is that I have had to take a different approach with my photography and race coverage writing. Limited time at the track has forced me to be more selective and creative in what I shoot, rather than just blasting away and I think my recent experience shooting for Associated Press at other races has helped me hone in on getting the right shot and getting it quickly. I'd like to think my work has improved as a result, but I'll leave that up to others to judge. I am hoping to do at least one other blog post following Carb Day to wrap up final preparations for this year's 500 and provide coverage of the Firestone Indy Lights Freedom 100. Until then, if you would like to see all of the slideshows I have posted so far, then please click here. See you in Turn 3 this weekend!

Indy 500 Pole Won by Penske's Ryan Briscoe

Ryan Briscoe celebrates his first Indy 500 pole position

It was a sweltering day at Indianapolis today for Indy 500 Pole Day and Penske's Ryan Briscoe took the pole position after the final Fast 9 qualifying session by millimeters over James Hinchliffe of Andretti Autopsort. Hinch made a last ditch effort to unseat Briscoe but could not muster the necessary speed  and wound up second ahead of his teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay, who also tried unsuccessfully in the last hour to snatch the pole from Briscoe. Once again, Penske has shown the way to go fast at Indianapolis but I'm sure it was closer than Roger would have liked today. He will still cash the $100,000 check though.

Three drivers hit the wall today but they were all able to climb out unharmed. Rookie Bryan Clauson did a half spin into the Turn 1 wall at the start of his fourth qualifying lap on what would have been a solid run shortly after noon. The track continued to heat up and then Oriol Servia lost it coming off of Turn 4 as he was about to take the green flag to qualify. Servia's accident was scariest looking as he spun into the inside wall and then smacked the end of the wall which separates pit lane from the race track which sent him into several more violent spins. Ed Carpenter had the day's hardest hit in Turn 2 but he was in pit lane during the Fast 9 session talking with Tony Kanaan so he's OK too. Thankfully the new Dallara design seems to be quite crashworthy, although I know no one really wanted to test that out this weekend, especially with the short car count where virtually everyone who makes a qualifying attempt is assured of racing in the 500 next Sunday. Except perhaps those who have Lotus power, and other than an early appearance in the morning practice session by Simona DeSilvestro, those with Lotus engines were nowhere to be seen the rest of the day.

One of the coolest things that happened all day was the ceremonial lap turned by Parnelli Jones in the #98 roadster which became the first car to be driven to an average qualifying speed in excess of 150 mph at Indy. He clearly enjoyed the laps and the sound of that old Offy sure was sweet. They will run for final qualifying tomorrow and another hot day is forecast so the old Brickyard will be as tricky as ever. I'll be back Carb Day for the final practice and the Freedom 100. Until then enjoy this cumulative slideshow of photos from today's action.

2012 Indy 500 Pole Day Photos

Indy 500 Pole Day Dawns Clear - Hot One Expected

Marco Andretti fastest so far at Indy

Set up in the IMS media center this morning, today promises to be filled with excitement and probably a few surprises. Marco Andretti was fastest on "Fast Friday" at Indianapolis after the IZOD Indycar Series officials bumped up the turbo boost pressure. The extra boost had 13 drivers crest 225 mph and and another 10 crack the 224 mark so the competition for the Fast 9 spots which will compete for the Indy 500 pole today should be fierce. Weather may also be a factor as the hottest temperatures of the month are forecast. With the advent of daylight savings time in Indiana a few years ago, the front stretch does not get nearly as much shade late in the day as it used to so the driver who can wait into the final hour for the best conditions may have the best shot at the pole. Tony Kanaan drew the first qualifying spot and ran over 225 yesterday so he may be the one to set an early benchmark for the day. The Andretti Autosport team continues to look very stout with four drivers in the top 10 Friday, including Ana Beatriz in a one-off ride for the team. Rookies Josef Newgarden and Bryan Clauson have been very impressive for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing this week and it will be interesting to see how they handle the pressure of their first Pole Day at Indianapolis. And lest we forget the Penske juggernaut:  Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves have the second and third fastest speeds of the practice week, also set on Fast Friday. Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti lurk nearby for Target Chip Ganassi with the fifth and ninth fastest speeds so they cannot be counted out. It could be a wild day here at Indy so until I can get back on line later, I leave you with the following slide shows from practice days I shot earlier this week.

Practice Day May 15, 2012

Practice Day May 17, 2012

Indy 500 Practice Photos - Day 3

Ryan Hunter-Reay

On a beautiful day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for practice, the Andretti Autosport team continues to be near the head of the pack and the young lions of the IZOD  Indycar Series are making plenty of noise. Andretti's team had three of the top five speeds today with Ryan Hunter-Reay second overall, Marco Andretti third and Sebastian Saavedra fifth quick. Another Andretti driver was in 10th - James Hinchcliffe who I caught doing major consulting with RHR leaning into the cockpit. Rookie Josef Newgarden continues to set the pace with the first lap over 222 mph on this the third day of practice. I was only able to get out to the Speedway for less than two hours today but it was a very productive day for no more time that I had to work with. I spent time looking for people and found them. The most interesting thing I overheard today was Roger Penske saying to his team over their radio was "we're having the same problem with all three cars." I don't know what problem they are having but it must be serious as Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves and Will Power were back in 15th, 16th and 17th positions today. Maybe they were just work on race day setups...

This is my 350th blog post and I am dedicating it to a fellow photographer who passed away this weekend on Opening Day:  Keith Pritchard. I always considered Keith a friend and mentor as he was someone who helped me time after time when I was first starting out as a racing photographer. We went on many road trips together - Toronto, Michigan, Columbus - and I always knew I could find him in his favorite spot, shooting in Turn 1 every May. Sadly it was not to be this year and even though we all have known of physical troubles he has had the last few years, it was still a shock to hear that he had reached the finish line. His pictures of Danny Sullivan's "Spin and Win" in 1985 made Sports Illustrated that year, and were used again in last year's commemorative Indy 500 issue that SI put out with the Speedway's program. Gone but not forgotten. Keith ran a helluva race. He was always an AJ Foyt fan and I'll never forget the stories he told about AJ's injuries at Road America which he was there to shoot for the Indianapolis Star. And that would be just one of many racing stories he could tell. Rest in peace friend. My prayers go out to his family and friends - we've lost another friend. The slideshow which follows is in Keith's honor.

Marco Andretti

Sebastian Saavedra

James Hinchliffe - Mr. Mayor @Hinchtown